Italy Crypto Tax 2026: 33% Rate, DAC8 and June 30 Deadline

The deadline is June 30, 2026. Italian crypto investors who realized gains in 2025 must pay the first tax installment by that date, with the 26% rate still applying to last year's transactions. For 2026 operations, the capital gains rate rises to 33%. The €2,000 tax-free threshold is already gone. And the era of crypto tax anonymity ended on January 1, 2026.

Sources: Law 199/2025 · D.Lgs. 194/2025 · Agenzia delle Entrate · Waltio · Milano Finanza · May 2026

Evolution of crypto capital gains tax rate in Italy (2023-2026)

Source: Law 197/2022, Law 213/2023, Law 207/2024, Law 199/2025 · Agenzia delle Entrate

Source: Law 197/2022, Law 213/2023, Law 207/2024, Law 199/2025 · Agenzia delle Entrate

DAC8 and Automatic Reporting: What the Tax Authority Already Knows

Since January 1, 2026, EU Directive 2023/2226 (DAC8), transposed into Italian law via D.Lgs. 194/2025, requires all exchanges and crypto-asset service providers licensed in the European Union to automatically transmit client identification data, balances, and annual transactions to the Agenzia delle Entrate. Binance, Coinbase, Kraken: all of them. No exceptions, even for users who haven't received a notification yet.

The core issue is this: taxpayers no longer need to self-report for the tax authority to know. The Agenzia delle Entrate receives that data regardless. Filing a return serves to demonstrate that what you reported matches what the authority already holds. Anyone who omits or understates faces a genuine risk of a formal assessment notice. Penalties for failing to complete the Quadro RW disclosure section reach 240% of tax owed, according to Italian tax law, with annual interest charges between 3% and 15%.

Self-custody wallet users face a different situation, though not necessarily a better one. Transfers between exchanges and MetaMask, Ledger, or other non-custodial hardware wallets aren't automatically visible to the tax authority. But if that wallet is linked to a KYC-verified account on an exchange, the connection exists. The Agenzia delle Entrate can cross-reference data during an audit. Anyone who moved significant sums between exchanges and wallets must complete the Quadro RW for those positions too.

How to Declare Crypto in Italy in 2026: Forms, Schedules, and Deadlines

Functionally, two filing routes are available. Either the Modello 730, accessible even to those without a VAT number since 2025 (using Quadri T, W, M, D), or the Modello Redditi PF with Quadri RT and RW. The choice affects processing timelines and how capital losses are carried forward. A tax professional experienced in crypto matters here, not because the rules are ambiguous, but because the offset thresholds and carry-forward mechanisms require careful operational attention.

The full guide to crypto taxation in 2026 already published on SpazioCrypto covers the standard cases. This article focuses on the three points that generate the most errors in non-standard situations.

Crypto-to-crypto trades. Converting between two cryptoassets with different characteristics, for example BTC to an NFT token or BTC to USDC, is a taxable event. Converting between crypto with the same characteristics and functions is not. The boundary, established by Circular 30/E of 2023 from the Agenzia delle Entrate, is interpretive and requires case-by-case assessment.

Staking and rewards. Staking rewards are treated as capital income (Quadro RM in the Modello Redditi), taxed at 26% at the point of receipt. If you later sell those crypto assets at a price above their value at the time of the reward, you also pay capital gains tax on the subsequent increase. Two separate taxes, two separate schedules.

DeFi and yield farming. This remains an active grey area. The Agenzia delle Entrate has not yet issued a specific circular on DeFi income. Established practice among sector professionals treats it as either “redditi diversi” (miscellaneous income) or capital income, depending on the protocol structure. Whatever interpretive position you take must be documented and defensible. Don't leave this to a generalist accountant unfamiliar with the sector.

Watch for July 2026: a possible Agenzia delle Entrate circular on DeFi income, expected in the second half of the year according to sector sources, and an update to the filing portal to include the CARF field. Anyone with significant positions on protocols such as Aave, Uniswap, or liquid staking platforms should consult a crypto tax specialist now. The voluntary disclosure procedure (ravvedimento operoso) reduces penalties by up to 90% if applied before a formal audit begins. That window closes the moment the tax authority opens a review.